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Why a New York-born 16-year-old could play for Bayern Munich in a key Champions League game

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Why a New York-born 16-year-old could play for Bayern Munich in a key Champions League game
Sport

Sport

Why a New York-born 16-year-old could play for Bayern Munich in a key Champions League game

2026-03-15 23:31 Last Updated At:23:40

MUNICH (AP) — An unlikely run of injuries has sidelined Bayern Munich's top three goalkeepers and could mean the German champion starts New York-born 16-year-old Leonard Prescott for its upcoming Champions League game against Atalanta.

With first-choice Manuel Neuer recovering from a calf muscle tear, Prescott was on the bench in the Champions League last week as Bayern beat Atalanta 6-1 in the first leg of their round-of-16 encounter.

At the time it seemed mostly like a chance to familiarize a promising young player, who starts for the Bayern under-19 team, with a more professional environment.

Prescott was born in New York but started his playing career at Union Berlin before a 2023 move to Bayern’s academy. He has also played for the German under-17 national team.

Prescott has suddenly become a possible starter after Jonas Urbig was concussed in a collision in the final minute of the game. Backup Sven Ulreich tore his right adductor in Saturday's 1-1 draw at Bayer Leverkusen but stayed on the field. He will be “sidelined for the time being,” Bayern said Sunday, after he was examined following the game.

If Neuer or the others can't recover in time, that could leave Prescott as Bayern's starter against Atalanta on Wednesday after he was also the backup for Ulreich on Saturday.

Among the other goalkeepers under contract to Bayern, reserve-team goalkeeper Leon Klanac has been injured since December and Daniel Peretz is on loan at Southampton.

One other option besides Prescott might be the 19-year-old Jannis Bärtl, who has played reserve games since Klanac's injury and was on the bench for two Bundesliga games this season.

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

Bayern players arrive for a training session in Munich, Germany, Monday, March 9, 2026, ahead of the Champions League round of 16 soccer match between Atalanta Bergamo and FC Bayern. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)

Bayern players arrive for a training session in Munich, Germany, Monday, March 9, 2026, ahead of the Champions League round of 16 soccer match between Atalanta Bergamo and FC Bayern. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)

SAN DIEGO (AP) — Two teenage suspects killed three men in a shooting at a San Diego mosque Monday before killing themselves a few blocks away, authorities said. Police Chief Scott Wahl said a security guard at the Islamic Center of San Diego was among those killed and that the case is being investigated as a hate crime.

About two hours before the attack, the mother of one of the suspects called police to report that her son was missing, Wahl told a news conference. She feared he might be suicidal, and she eventually realized that several of her weapons were missing, along with her vehicle.

The case became even more urgent when police learned that he was dressed in camouflage and that he was in the company of an acquaintance, and officers began using whatever technology they had available to locate the teens, including automated license plate readers.

Wahl said that’s when police began getting reports of a shooting.

The Islamic Center is the largest mosque in San Diego County, according to its website. It's about 9 miles (15 kilometers) north of downtown San Diego.

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There had been no specific threat made against the Islamic Center of San Diego, but San Diego Police Chief Scott Wahl said investigators were aware of “generalized hate rhetoric” in the case and are investigating the attack as a hate crime.

Wahl noted that the mother of one of the suspects found a note he left behind, but the chief declined to disclose its contents.

Wahl says that about two hours before the attack, the mother of one of the suspects called police to report that her son was missing.

Wahl told a news conference the she feared he might be suicidal, and she eventually realized that several of her weapons were missing, along with her vehicle.

The case became even more urgent when police learned that he was dressed in camouflage and that he was in the company of an acquaintance, and officers began using whatever technology they had available to locate the teens, including automated license plate readers.

Wahl said that’s when police began getting reports of a shooting at the Islamic Center of San Diego. Responding officers found the three victims at the mosque and the two teens dead of apparently self-inflicted gunshot wounds in a vehicle nearby.

That’s according to Sharp Memorial Hospital spokesperson Erica Carlson.

Carlson says the hospital did not expect to receive additional patients but was staying in contact with the San Diego County Office of Emergency Services.

The hospital declined to provide additional details.

That’s according to the center’s website.

Aerial TV footage showed more than a dozen children holding hands and being walked out of the parking lot of the center as it was surrounded by scores of police vehicles.

Parents were directed to a nearby area to retrieve their children.

The white mosque is in a neighborhood of homes, apartments and strip malls with Middle Eastern restaurants and markets.

“All of the kids are safe,” Wahl said, appearing emotional. “Our hearts go out to the families that are in this moment being notified of what has happened to their loved ones.”

Imam Taha Hassane also said at a news conference that “all the places of worship in our beautiful city should always be protected.”

Tazheen Nizam of the Council on American-Islamic Relations in San Diego says that “no one should ever fear for their safety while attending prayers or studying at an elementary school.”

Nizam says in a statement that CAIR is “working to learn more about this incident and we encourage everyone to keep this community in your prayers.”

That’s according to Chief Wahl.

Wahl says that as officers responded to the mosque, they also fielded reports of gunfire a few blocks away, where a landscaper was shot at but was uninjured.

He says the suspects were found dead in a vehicle stopped in the middle of a road nearby.

Imam Taha Hassane says it also works to build relations in the community.

He told a news conference that a group of non-Muslims had been touring the mosque earlier Monday to learn about the Muslim faith.

That’s according to San Diego Police Chief Scott Wahl.

Chief Scott Wahl says both suspects are believed to be teens and that the case is considered to be a hate crime.

“We are grateful to the first responders on the scene working to protect the community and urge everyone to follow guidance from local authorities,” his office posted on the social platform X.

Children hold hand as they walk near the scene of a shooting outside the Islamic Center of San Diego Monday, May 18, 2026, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

Children hold hand as they walk near the scene of a shooting outside the Islamic Center of San Diego Monday, May 18, 2026, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

People carry weapons at the scene of a shooting outside the Islamic Center of San Diego Monday, May 18, 2026, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

People carry weapons at the scene of a shooting outside the Islamic Center of San Diego Monday, May 18, 2026, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

A woman watches from a distance at the scene of a shooting outside the Islamic Center of San Diego Monday, May 18, 2026, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

A woman watches from a distance at the scene of a shooting outside the Islamic Center of San Diego Monday, May 18, 2026, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

Two men embrace at the scene of a shooting outside the Islamic Center of San Diego Monday, May 18, 2026, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

Two men embrace at the scene of a shooting outside the Islamic Center of San Diego Monday, May 18, 2026, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

Police stage at the scene of a shooting outside the Islamic Center of San Diego Monday, May 18, 2026, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

Police stage at the scene of a shooting outside the Islamic Center of San Diego Monday, May 18, 2026, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

Police stage at the scene of a shooting outside the Islamic Center of San Diego Monday, May 18, 2026, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

Police stage at the scene of a shooting outside the Islamic Center of San Diego Monday, May 18, 2026, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

A body is covered with a tarp at the scene of a shooting outside the Islamic Center of San Diego Monday, May 18, 2026, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

A body is covered with a tarp at the scene of a shooting outside the Islamic Center of San Diego Monday, May 18, 2026, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

People stand behind police tape at the scene of a shooting outside the Islamic Center of San Diego Monday, May 18, 2026, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

People stand behind police tape at the scene of a shooting outside the Islamic Center of San Diego Monday, May 18, 2026, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

A sheriff's deputy stages at the scene of a shooting outside the Islamic Center of San Diego Monday, May 18, 2026, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

A sheriff's deputy stages at the scene of a shooting outside the Islamic Center of San Diego Monday, May 18, 2026, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

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